Colombia's Pro-Trump Presidential Candidate Pulls Off Shock Election Result

Colombia’s pro-Donald Trump candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won the first round of the country’s presidential election on Sunday to face left-leaning senator Iván Cepeda in the upcoming runoff later this month.

De la Espriella, a political outsider, won nearly 44 percent of the vote while Cepeda clinched just under 41 percent, according to Colombian media.

Because neither presidential candidate reached 50 percent, the runoff election will be held on June 21.

Cepeda is backed by incumbent leftist Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, who has regularly sparred with Trump on social media, including over the U.S. administration’s controversial strike campaign on alleged drug boats that has killed more than 200 people.

But de la Espriella, a lawyer who has never held office in the South American country, has aligned himself with other regional right-wing leaders like Argentina’s Javier Milei and Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele and portrayed himself as a supporter of Trump.

This is a breaking story. More to follow.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 4:00 AM.